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“And the doctors?” I asked, “Will they co-operate with us?”

“I took care of it,” Emma said, flashing a smile.

“Now you two have to play the role for a few hours until we catch him,” Cillian said and whispered something in Caleb’s ear.

“I’m taking you out for a bike ride once this is done,” Caleb said to me, kissing my cheek and brushing his fingers over my bandage, his jaw clenching. “I promise I’ll make him pay for this.”

“Be safe,” I whispered to him. He nodded and talked with Kyle as I braced myself to face Timothy. If he was behind the stalking, then he had threatened Alice, too. I’d give him my own peace of mind.

But waiting for Caleb to wake up had also taught me how much I like—no, how much I loved them both. I was sure they felt the same way if they were willing to risk their lives for me.

Once it’s done, I’d tell Aaron about them. I’d talk with mom and Katie how much I love Kyle and Caleb.

Because I’d risk my life for them too.

39

PAYBACK

CALEB

Pretending to be dead and trying not to breathe was a difficult task. Especially having your dad, your dad’s wife who’s your ex, your hot older girlfriend and boyfriend crying and sobbing over you as the nurse (dad’s colleague) drags your body to the mortuary for the fake autopsy.

I heard Felix, Anna’s ex-husband, call her since he was living at her house and taking care of Alice. Anna had faked her sadness so well that I had to ignore the urge to stand up from the stretcher and hug her. She told him not to tell Alice yet, and she’ll tell her when she comes back home.

Which was a lie. We would catch Timothy, get his statement, and arrest him. Then I’d come back to life, confess to my lovely boyfriend and girlfriend how much I love them, and force them to move in with me so we can have raunchy sex all day and night.

Anna didn’t know it, but I already had a real estate agent looking for a huge open space for her Pilates studio near my house. I even ordered a reformer for the home gym so she can take online classes from home if she wants.

For Kyle, I knew he preferred to work from his office, so I could clear out my teenage bedroom, turn it into his home office so I could have both of them all to myself—unless Jem wanted to move in too and Alice wanted a bigger bedroom. I’d ask the real estate agent to look for a huge house. Our family would likely be expanding anyway, if Kyle and I got our way.

I had to stop my grin, thinking about our future together. Only a paper-thin sheet covered my entire body, and thankfully, I was still wearing the hospital plasticky scrubs. If I got a hard-on now, everyone would know I was very much alive and breathing. Plus, I’d scar my dad for life.

Which I should, since he had scarred me when I walked in?—

“We’ll start the post-mortem. You can wait outside,” the nurse with gruff voice said as the surrounding temperature dropped and goosebump erupted all over my body with the coldness.

It smelled like soap, detergent and scrubs, with a hint of metal in the air.

I closed my hand in a fist and calmed myself. There were cameras in the room, and I only had to wait a few minutes to half an hour before Timothy showed up. My ears strained when I was placed on the cold slab of metal with bright lights above me.

Time trickled by as I forced myself to take a slow breath. Dad’s deep voice spoke to me via the small earpiece hidden in my ear.

“Tiger. Parking lot.” Tiger was the code name for Timothy, and I braced myself for whatever he was planning to do.

Anna, Kyle and Emma were in my room, acting sad while Dad was in the surveillance room with the few of his colleagues hiding in the hospital. Elena, his boss, had provided us with extra manpower.

“Tiger is approaching,” Dad’s voice rang through the earpiece, a slight robotic gruff to it. “Be ready, Caleb.”

My adrenaline was building up when the door opened, and Timothy sneaked in. He had paid the receptionist extra to keep it quiet, and cops were waiting outside his shitty house with the search warrant as soon as we arrested him here.

I held my breath when heavy footsteps moved around the metal table I was on. I kept my eyes closed when the cloth was lifted off me.

I was glad Emma had come prepared. She and Anna had applied makeup to make me look paler. I had wrinkled my mouth with disgust when I saw my reflection in the mirror, but Kyle teased me I looked like a handsome vampire.

Maybe I can roleplay as Edward Cullen or Carlisle Cullen for him in the future.

“Jesus,” Timothy said, his voice scratchy. I could feel his eyes on me as he moved around before he dropped the cloth back in place, covering my face. “Definitely dead.”